Sams is editor of ClaimsJournal.com, the online resource and daily newsletter for property/casualty insurance claims professionals. ClaimsJournal is a member of the Wells Media Group. Sams can be reached at jsams@wellsmedia.com
May 18, 2020
If only 10% of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an analysis by the National Council …
May 15, 2020
Cities and counties across the country may have handed plaintiff’s attorneys an argument to use in lawsuits against insurers that seek business-interruption coverage for losses caused by coronavirus closure orders. Jurisdictions as far asunder as Los Angeles, Calif. and Key …
May 12, 2020
An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19 claims. Pressure is growing on workers’ compensation …
May 8, 2020
An insurer that failed to pay a claim within 60 days cannot be considered the prevailing party even if a claimant is eventually awarded less than the carrier’s settlement offer, a divided Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled. The 6-3 opinion marks …
May 7, 2020
If the novel COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control soon, the disease’s impact on the insurance industry as a whole may be pretty much a wash. It not, the industry may be on the verge of an historic catastrophe. A …
May 6, 2020
If only 10 percent of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an analysis by the National …
April 30, 2020
A federal appellate court on Tuesday overturned a jury’s award of $64 million against Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. for allegedly breaching the terms of a reinsurance agreement. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that Fireman’s Fund was not liable …
April 27, 2020
Two groups of plaintiffs — one in Philadelphia, the other in Chicago — are asking federal courts to consolidate lawsuits filed by businesses that are seeking coverage for business-interruption losses they claim are caused by coronavirus stay-home orders. Attorneys for …
April 21, 2020
Sympathetic state lawmakers and regulators in states both red and blue promise to make COVID-19 a major cost driver for workers’ compensation insurers. The governors of Kentucky, Arkansas, North Dakota and Florida and state regulators in Illinois, Washington, Michigan and …
April 15, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has not shut down the day-to-day business of adjusting claims, but the workload is lighter and claims managers are coping with evolving government regulations and guidelines. Crawford & Co. says it has added a new step to …